<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Strictly Professional...Or not by TVgirll1971</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24662011">Strictly Professional...Or not</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TVgirll1971/pseuds/TVgirll1971'>TVgirll1971</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Whiskey Cavalier (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Episode 1.12 "Two of a Kind", Episode Tag, F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 04:41:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>775</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24662011</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TVgirll1971/pseuds/TVgirll1971</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Will and Frankie bring Kelly to the Dead Drop to meet the team. There, Kelly encourages Frankie to let love back into her life.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Will Chase/Frankie Trowbridge</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Strictly Professional...Or not</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Missthang616/gifts">Missthang616</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This story is based on a prompt by @PeytonBriana616</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Frankie and Will walked into the Dead Drop with Kelly. Frankie wondered again why Will felt the need to have the team meet her. “She’s the one who molded you into the fiercely independent woman you are today. It’ll be nice.” Will said. Frankie still didn’t understand why. She hadn’t met any of the teams’ family and she didn’t mind. But no, the Human Care Bear (as Kelly called Will) thought it’d be nice for the team to meet Frankie’s family.</p>
<p>The first person they saw as they entered was Ray.</p>
<p>“Kelly,” Will began. “This is the team’s liaison, Ray Prince. Ray, this is Kelly Ashland.”</p>
<p>“Oh, yeah,” Ray said, smiling. “Frankie’s guardian. Pleased to meet you.” </p>
<p>Kelly squinted hard at Ray. “Has anyone ever told you you have beady little eyes?”</p>
<p> “Uh, not really.” he replied slowly. He then turned to Will, waving a file. Oh, "Will, can I see you a sec? I have some info for you."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As Will went off to talk to Ray, Frankie led Kelly over to meet the rest of the team who were sitting at one of the tables. As Frankie feared, the team regaled Kelly with questions about what she was like as a kid. Then Will returned from talking to Ray and just had to show the team the picture he had on his phone of Frankie in her prom dress. Of course, that led to questions  about Frankie's prom date. Suddenly, Kelly turned to Will and said.  “I can see why she’s so into you. You're very brave. And maybe a little stupid.”</p>
<p>Hearing that, Frankie choked on her drink. However, before she could  say anything Standish blurted out,  “Into him? Please! Frankie’ll eat a man alive rather than be into him.” That comment earned him a punch in the arm by Susan. “Ow!” Standish yelped. “That’s it. I’m going to the bathroom! Come on, Jai!” he declared as he got up and left.</p>
<p>“Let’s go.” Jai whispered to Susan. “I want to show you something.”</p>
<p>“O-kay.” Susan muttered as she followed Jai.</p>
<p>“Weird.” Will said as he watched the trio head towards the restroom. Then he turned his attention back to Kelly. “Kelly, Frankie and I are just partners.”</p>
<p>“Absolutely.” Frankie insisted, having regained her speech. “Partners. Nothing more. Just partners."</p>
<p>Kelly chuckled, "Okay." </p>
<p>“I’m serious.” Frankie insisted. “Will and I are strictly professional.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Later, as Kelly was about to leave, she turned and spoke to Frankie.  </p>
<p>"Look, I've been wanting to tell you something---my life got so much better once I stopped being so closed off."</p>
<p>"After all this?" Frankie asked, somewhat skeptically. </p>
<p>"Yeah, still. And I know you--once you start caring for someone (she nodded her head towards Will who was alone at the bar) you start running in the opposite direction."</p>
<p>"Yeah." Frankie agreed. "You lose enough people that you love, it seems safer."</p>
<p>"I get it." Kelly said, Then added. "Promise you won't let what happened to me stop you from letting love back in your life."</p>
<p>"I'll try." Frankie said, sincerely.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>With Kelly gone, that left Frankie alone in the bar with Will. As if reading her mind, Will handed her a glass of whiskey.</p>
<p>"To a mission well done." Frankie toasted.</p>
<p>"About that.” Will said, “Are we going to mention in the report that Kelly tipped off Daniel?"</p>
<p>"Um, I was thinking of leaving that out. You know, so she can keep her son and her job and everything. Everybody makes mistakes, right? It's good to show compassion every once in a while."</p>
<p>"Yes, it is." Will agreed, his voice cracking a bit.</p>
<p>"You okay?" she asked.</p>
<p>"I'm just so moved right now, I can't…" he said with his hand over his heart.</p>
<p>Frankie smiled. He was such a dork sometimes. She should be mortified by it but somehow that was part of his charm. In the meantime, Frankie kept thinking about what Kelly told her. She tried to ignore it. She argued with herself—making lists in her head as to why she and Will were a bad idea. There were so many reasons why they should stay professional---</p>
<p> </p>
<p>---and one pretty big reason why they shouldn’t. Finally, on another cloudy day in Los Angeles, Frankie took a deep breath and made a decision.</p>
<p>“Listen,” Frankie said to Will. “I was thinking--after we nab this buyer, why don’t we stay for an extra day? We could go out to eat, see some sights, ride that Ferris wheel you like so much.”</p>
<p>“Seriously?” Will asked. “You just want to hang out?”</p>
<p>Frankie smiled. “Yeah. Just hang out and see where the day takes us.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Kelly's comment to Ray is a nod to Cougar Town where Ellie (Christa Miller) often referred to Grayson (Josh Hopkins) as "dime eyes" or "tiny eyes".</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>